Please respond to Megan with 450. words citations and references This course was useful in many ways, most particularly in preparing me to be a well-informed and prepared educational researcher. Research is essential to examining and understanding education, what is working, what we can improve, and how to best support learners and educators. Crewell and Gutterman remind us “the scope of action research provides a means for teachers or educators in the schools to improve their practices of taking action and to do so by participating in research” (p. 587). Throughout this course, we have reviewed many different research methods, various data collection strategies, and gained a thorough understanding of how data is analyzed and reviewed after collection. I appreciated the ability to learn about research, paired with analyzing completed research as I feel I was able to gather a deeper sense of the actions and details when learning about the two side by side. Being able to critically analyze and review research is key to determining where gaps in knowledge are and how to support the growth in the field of education. I have been able to review my ideas within the field of research and build them into an actionable research project. Mixed action research will be the most beneficial to me as I further explore executive functioning skills in the classroom. Mixed action research combines both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Mixed methods research allows for a wide view of information and may provide more insight to support solving problems. Reviewing and ensuring the understanding of ethical importance is another piece of this course that will stick with me. Ensuring that research is supportive of all involved, and never negatively impactful is critical to the field and future of research in general.
Action research will be the foundation of my research moving forward. I believe this research will enable me to continue to be an effective classroom teacher, will expanding my direct contributions beyond my classroom, but not out of the scope of what I know and am able to manage. Action research is educational research with a goal of finding solutions to a problem (Creswell & Guetterman, 2019). It is often considered real-world research and involves various stakeholders within the field of education. I believe I will best impact the field of education through this real-world approach. This research will lead to actionable recommendations and/or solutions to the problem presented. I was guided by the biblical verse Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” through this course and my journey to earn my Ed.S. I am grateful for this learning journey and learning with and from each of you. References:
Creswell, J. W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2019). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). Pearson.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation. (2015). Tyndale House. (Original work published 1996)